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May 12, 2008

Fresh Rhubarb from Field - Weekend Herb Blogging

Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable? I think that is quite obivious if one compares them to celery stalks.

Rhubarb leaves contain poisonous substances. The plant is indigenous to Asia, and many suggest that it was often used by the Mongolians; particularly, the Tatars tribes of the Gobi. The plant has grown wild along the banks of the Volga for centuries; it may have been brought there by Eurasian tribes, such as the Scythians, Huns or Mongols.

The term rhubarb is a combination of Greek rha and barbarum; rha being a term that referred both to the plant and to the Volga River. Varieties of rhubarb have a long history as medicinal plants in traditional Chinese medicine, but the use of rhubarb as food is a relatively recent innovation, first recorded in 17th century England, after affordable sugar became available to common people, and reaching a peak between the two world wars. Rhubarb first came to America in the 1820s, entering the country in Maine and Massachusetts and moving west with the settlers. Rhubarb is now grown in many areas and thanks to greenhouse production is available throughout much of the year. Grown primarily for its fleshy petioles, commonlyknown as rhubarb sticks or stalks rhubarb is a vegetable that plays at being a fruit. In temperate climates rhubarb is one of the first food plants to be ready for harvest, usually in mid to late Spring (April/May in the Northern Hemisphere, October/November in the Southern), and the season for field-grown plants lasts until September. In the Northwest there are typically two harvests: one from late April through May and another from late June and into July.(source:wikipedia)

Yesterday while driving around I have seen a rhubarb field, of course I had to stop. There were beautiful thin rhubarbs growing. What a pity that I have already bought a big bunch a day before, but I still got some stalks. In the evening I prepared this delicious rhubarb pie.

Ingredients:75 g cold butter125 g flour25 g sugar1 pinch of salt3 tablespoon cold water250 g rhubarb2 tablespoon corn starch3 tablespoon elderberry syrup25 g chopped almonds1 tablespoon milk1 tablespoon icing sugarSlice butter, add flour, sugar salt, after add the cold water and mix it to a dough.Put it in the fridge for 1 hour. Cut in half and roll out each. Put peeled and sliced rhubarb that is mixed with corn starch, syrup in the middle and cover it with the rest of the dough. Sprinkle almonds on top. Brush dough with milk and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 30 minutes on 180°C.